The Anarchist
by Ferngully
Summary: A mysterious murder occurs in Kyoto, the symbol of the messenger burned into the victims flesh. Meanwhile, in a small village, children are mysteriously being stolen away by what the villagers claim to be black ghosts with white masks. R&R!
1. Prologue

Okay, this will be a pretty dark fic, but I'm not ENTIRELY sure where it's going...it was really an excuse to use some cool roman symbolism, but it actually started to turn out really good. Okay, I'm telling you now that I'm going to get techniques wrong and probably not mention them at all...and I may get some technicalities wrong with the whole Kenshin universe; I'm not a huge Kenshin buff (although I enjoy the show). Besides, the story itself is the important thing, anyway. Also, some things are slightly rushed...because I wanted to write certain parts and I grew impatient...but over all, it's written well (imho) and pretty good. And Saitou is in it a lot and all the info I got about him and his family is based on the REAL Hajime Saitou (that is, the real historical figure) and therefore it IS true (I'll go into more detail when the time comes-I don't want to give anything away, after all!). Anyway, just read and enjoy!   
  
  
  
"Stay behind me," his mother's voice coarsely whispered through the blackness of the night and three year old Tstumo nodded as he fearfully bit his lower lip with a sniffle, clinging warily onto the back of his mother's nightgown. His body trembled, but he tried his best not to cry; his father had taught him better than that, and he wouldn't want to disappoint him now. He then lifted his head high, his eyes searching through the darkness for his mother's face. Once his eyes adjusted to the dark night, he could finally make it out. Yet it did not seem like his mother's face. It seemed like some other woman, her eyes dark and narrowed, her mouth pursed severely, and a long-bladed dagger in her hands. How could such a fierce woman be his gentle mother?  
  
She stepped forward, and Tstumo tightened his little fingers around his mother's gown, stepping forward as well. Then, speaking in a harsh and low voice, one unfamiliar to Tstumo, his mother sternly called, "Who's there?" Both her and Tstumo listened attentively. The sound of heavy feet scrapping and shuffling against the wooden floor of their home could be heard as well as a hoarse breathing noise; it was the same distinct noise that had awaken them from their sleep in the first place. Yet, neither could see more than five feet in front of them. "Don't move," his mother ordered the stranger and the scrapping noise stopped. The breathing, however, remained. Cautiously, she raised her head, leaning it a bit forward as if to try to get a better look in the dark. She then interrogated, "Who ever has entered my home, I demand you leave at once. I will not tolerate bandits and the like stealing the things I rightfully earned." The labored breathing continued and another scrape against the wooden floor caused Tstumo's mother's ears to perk up. She raised the blade of her sword until it was parallel to her sharp eyes. And then the sound of rapidly pounding feet running toward Tstumo and his mother came like a stampede to Tstumo's ears, yet lasted only for a second.  
  
Tstumo saw nothing of the confrontation between his mother and the stranger; it was too quick a fight to see. All he remembered was his mother pushing him back, so hard in fact that he smacked against the wall, falling onto his backside with eyes squinted tightly shut. Then, in quick precession, there was a violent cry from his mother, a horrible screech, and a thud. After that short moment past, Tstumo opened his eyes to see a hand lying on the floor a couple feet in front of him, pale and gray, and severed a few inches above the wrist. A dark pool of blood glistened as it formed on the floor below the wrist as did a silver ring that circled around one of the hand's lifeless, gangly fingers. Tstumo then looked toward his mother who knelt on the floor trying to catch her breath, bloodied dagger lying beside her white nightgown which billowed out on the wooden floor. The look in her eyes was a piercing mix of pain and anger as she coldly glowered at the severed hand, her loose nightgown hanging off her right shoulder. And Tstumo could vaguely make out a wound on this shoulder, but before he could say anything or even get a better look, she quickly pulled her nightgown up and over the wound to hide it and rose to her feet.  
  
"Back to bed, Tstumo," she instructed, her gentle voice slowly returning to her. She helped him up and then put a hand on his shoulder, turning him about so only his back faced the bloodied hand. "The bad man's gone now. No need to worry. I'll clean this up later…" Tstumo nodded solemnly, taking a quick glance over his left shoulder to stare at the hand once more, but it was brief, for his mother gave him a nudge forward. Rarely had his mother been so serious.   
  
When they reached the doorway into his bedroom, the living room still in plain sight from the hall, his mother turned back herself to stare at the limb as she pushed the bangs off her forehead with her left hand, beads of sweat dripping onto her eyebrows. "I just hope your father gets my letter soon," she said, nearly under her breath, and then led Tstumo into his room, securely closing the door behind them. 


	2. Chapter 1

I forgot to mention before, I don't know if I'm keeping the title "The Anarchist" or not...I might, but whatever...it's not all that important, is it? LOL! Also, I want to tell everyone now just in case: this has NOTHING to do with Sailor Moon (although I do love that show!)! Yes, planet names will be used but they are in reference to the ROMAN GODS and what they symbolize. It has to do with Roman mythology, not Sailor Scouts. Okay, I'm done now.  
  
Saitou arrived at Kyoto past midnight that evening, but time wasn't of importance to him. He insisted on doing what he had set out to Kyoto to do that instant.  
  
"But, Mr. Fujita, sir," the officer tried to reason as the two walked down a fairly lit corridor, "can't it wait until morning? Don't you want to get some rest-"  
  
"No," Saitou interrupted flatly. "I'll see the body now."  
  
"All right…" the officer said, frowning as they reached a door. "But I'd really get some rest first, if I were you. Once you see it, you're never going to be able get some sleep."   
  
Saitou simply snorted. "Just open the door."  
  
The officer chuckled nervously. "Right, sir!" He then pulled out his keys and hurriedly unlocked the door. "Here you go, sir." He opened the door and stepped to the side, letting Saitou pass. "They usually don't keep the bodies this long, but the captain said you had to see this, so…"   
  
"I know what he said," Saitou snapped and gave him a quick glare before stepping inside the room.   
  
A body draped in a white sheet lay on a table and Saitou looked it over before removing the sheet from it. The face was sore and blistered, several marks of the same symbol burned into its flesh. Saitou examined it closely, noting that there were six of these identical symbols branded onto the dead man's face. Moreover, Saitou recognized the symbol.  
  
"Mercury…the messenger…" he muttered to himself before moving onto the rest of the savagely mutilated body.   
  
"Fujita," a voice called from behind and Saitou turned to see the captain standing at the door, a severe look on his face. "You've seen, I see."  
  
"Yes," Saitou said, standing up straight.   
  
"Gruesome, isn't it?"   
  
"Hmm." Saitou glanced over the face again. "It's a message. But for what?"  
  
"So you recognized the symbol, too," the captain noted. "Yes, this man's murderer seems to have had some objective."  
  
"Do you know what it is?"  
  
"No…however, there is someone who might."  
  
Saitou raised a curious eyebrow.  
  
The captain led Saitou down the corridor, speaking as he did so. "There was another man. But he was not killed. He was spared, purposely, to deliver to us this 'message.' However, everything he says now is nonsense; he seems to have lost his sanity."  
  
"Pity," Saitou commented. "What use will he be then?"  
  
"Well, we're still trying to sort out his message of his…but there's something more important than that."  
  
"More important?"  
  
The captain then stopped and looked at Saitou with fierce eyes. "You saw the body of that man, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes. What of it?"  
  
"From what the doctors told me…some of the wounds on that man were impossible to create, as if they were cut from the inside out." Saitou narrowed his eyes. "When we talked to the other man-the survivor-he mentioned something similar to this."  
  
"What are you trying to say?"  
  
"This isn't any ordinary murder, Fujita. This…I don't know what this is. And the symbols…"  
  
"Yes, the messenger."  
  
"There's more than that."  
  
"More?"  
  
"On the survivor-that where the message is. On his eyes…" The captain shuddered then and shook his head. "Well, you'll see, Fujita."  
  
Saitou, now perplexed, followed the captain to where the survivor stood. He was in a small room, arms wrapped around his knees, trembling, and mumbling something inaudible to himself. Saitou stepped in, staring at the man hard. The survivor's eyes were burned closed, two symbols branded on each eyelid. On the left was branded the symbol of Uranus and on the right was that of Saturn. 


	3. Chapter 2

Okay, yeah, they think Saitou is dead at the end of the Kyoto arc...I know...but we're going to call this dramatic liscence, all right? Just go with it! LOL!  
  
Kaoru scanned through the newspaper that late morning as she sat on the steps outside the Kamiya Doujo, shaking her head in dismay. "How awful! I can't believe it!"  
  
Kenshin, who was sweeping the porch, turned to Kaoru curiously. "What's wrong, Miss Kaoru?"  
  
"Didn't you read the paper, Kenshin?" she asked, rising to her feet and walking over to Kenshin. She handed him the paper. "Here! Look!"  
  
Kenshin read briefly through it, reading aloud, "Murder in Kyoto…police baffled…"  
  
"That's not the half of it, either!" Kaoru exclaimed. "Read about how they found the body!"  
  
"Yes, I am, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin told her, reading through the article in concern. "Strange symbols…? I wonder what of…"  
  
Before he could say anymore, Sanosuke stepped outside from the doujo with arms outstretched and a big yawn.  
  
"Oh, good morning, Sano," Kenshin said with a pleasant smile.  
  
"Hey, Kenshin."  
  
"It's about time you got up," Kaoru muttered, crossing her arms. Then, remembering the article in the paper, she quickly snatched the newspaper from Kenshin. "Sano! You have to read this!" she exclaimed, handing him the paper.  
  
Sanosuke looked it over and, after a moment, winced. "Well, that's definitely not the greatest way to go," he commented before handing the paper back to Kaoru. "So, where's breakfast, Missy?"  
  
"How can you think of eating after reading something like that?!" Kaoru questioned and Sanosuke shrugged. "Besides, we already had breakfast; maybe if you had gotten up you could have had some!"  
  
Sanosuke's face dropped. "You didn't leave me anything?!" He then turned to Kenshin angrily. "Kenshin!"  
  
Kenshin immediately took a step back. "Now, Sano…I tried to save you something, but Miss Kaoru wouldn't allow me to. Please don't be angry…" He then gave him a nervous smile and added, "Besides, Miss Kaoru's cooking's not very good, anyway."  
  
"What was that, Kenshin?!" Kaoru questioned furiously.  
  
"Kenshin!" Yahiko's voice suddenly called out urgently and the three stopped their bickering, turning to see Yahiko standing by the gateway, Saitou standing behind him. All three narrowed their eyes suspiciously at the sight of Saitou, who just smirked at their scowls.  
  
"Saitou," Kenshin said in a low voice and Saitou scoffed, walking past Yahiko with a shove and Yahiko glared at him in annoyance as he passed.  
  
"What are you doing here, Saitou?" Sanosuke questioned, raising a fist.  
  
"I'm not here to see you," Saitou remarked. "I'm here to see the battousai."  
  
"What do you want to see Kenshin for?" Kaoru asked and Saitou simply smirked.  
  
"It's all right, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin said then with a smile and stepped off the porch and onto the grass. "What is it that you'd like from me, Saitou?"  
  
"I'd like you to come to Kyoto with me," he answered.  
  
The four looked surprised and asked in unison, "Kyoto?"  
  
"But why would Kenshin need to go to Kyoto?" Kaoru asked and then glanced down at the newspaper she held in her hand. "Unless…" Her eyes widened and she gasped. "This is about the murder in Kyoto, isn't? The one with the strange symbols!"  
  
"The symbol of Mercury," Saitou corrected. "The messenger. And there are two others…however, it doesn't concern you three. Only the battosai."  
  
"What does it have to do with me, Saitou?" Kenshin asked innocently.  
  
"Nothing in particular, really…" Saitou began. "However, these amateurs won't be up for the challenge. You, however, might actually be able to handle it."  
  
"Hey!" Sanosuke exclaimed, insulted. "Who are you calling an amateur?!"  
  
Saitou just snickered and turned his attention to Kenshin once more. "Now then, battousai, would you like to come to Kyoto with me or not. There's a man there that I want you to speak to. One who might know what the message is…and you're good with people; I'm sure you'd be able to figure it out."  
  
"A message?" Kenshin thought aloud, narrowing his eyes and looking downward. "Hmm…"  
  
"If Kenshin is going to Kyoto, I'm going to!" Yahiko exclaimed.  
  
"That's right!" Kaoru agreed.  
  
"No, no, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin began, lifting his eyes and smiling. "There's no need."  
  
"There isn't," Saitou added coldly.  
  
"I am only going to Kyoto to talk, not to fight, isn't that right, Saitou?" Kenshin asked.  
  
Saitou gave Kenshin a smirk. "For the moment."  
  
"So you see, Miss Kaoru, there's no need for you or Yahiko to come with me. After all, you have a doujo to run, that you do, Miss Kaoru."  
  
Kaoru frowned and Yahiko glowered, but neither said nothing, reluctantly agreeing to Kenshin's wishes.  
  
Sanosuke, however, wouldn't give in so easily. "Well, those two might not be going to Kyoto, but I am!"  
  
"Now, Sano…"  
  
"I don't trust that jerk for the life of me," Sanosuke said, glaring at Saitou and then resolutely declared, "I'm going with you Kenshin and you can't stop me." Kenshin frowned and looked at Saitou.  
  
Saitou just turned around and said, "Fine; let the moron come." Then, as he left, he said, "I'll be here by dawn. Be ready."  
  
"Kenshin, do you really think it's all right to trust Saitou?" Kaoru asked when Saitou was gone from sight.  
  
"I think it will be," Kenshin answered, starting to sweep again. "And Sano will be there. There's no need to worry, Miss Kaoru, that there isn't."  
  
"But Kenshin-" Kaoru stopped, however, and looked down at the newspaper with worried eyes. "You will be careful, won't you, Kenshin? After all-"  
  
"Yes, Miss Kaoru, I'll be careful," Kenshin interrupted with a warm smile. "But promise me you'll be careful, won't you, Miss Kaoru?"  
  
"Me?" Kaoru asked looking up in surprise.  
  
"And Yahiko, too, of course," Kenshin said, looking at Yahiko.  
  
"But why would we have to be careful, Kenshin?" Yahiko asked.  
  
Kenshin stopped his sweeping and looked up toward the sky with pensive eyes. "I just have a feeling that whatever it is that's in Kyoto will be here soon, in Tokyo." 


	4. Chapter 3

That night, Saitou arrived at the inn he had been lodging in for quite some time to find a letter had been sent to him. Knowing who it was from, he eagerly opened it and sat at his desk to read it:  
  
"Dear Hajime,  
  
I wish I could bring you good news, but I am afraid that I am writing this letter to you will bring you nothing but worry. However, it must be told nonetheless, and although I know you are busy with your police work, there is something more dire at work in your own village-your own home-that needs addressing. Recently, many strange occurrences have been happening. Not only strange, but very frightening. It started with the grass and the crops-all rotted black and some even turned to ash, all in one night, yet none saw how it happened. A bad omen, many felt, and the bad omens continued. Great trees that had been standing for centuries, unscathed by all of natures perils, suddenly turned black and died. Animals were found shortly after, black scars on their belly, as if the devil himself slit them open with his claws. Then, the talks began; children saying they saw black ghosts with white masks roaming around when they play or sometimes at night, looming over them as they dream. Some adults, however, began to claim to see them, too. As for myself, I have not seen any such creature, but I have come to believe they exist, for something in my gut tells me that they do and to fear them.  
  
After talks and rumors had spread, the first disappearance arose. A child of five or so, it was, taken while he was sleeping in his bed, only a few small drops of blood on his sheets and nothing more. His sister, ten years his senior, I believe, had been in the bed beside his; she saw it, yet she had been unable to scream. The mere sight of the creature had left her paralyzed with fear. But later, when she had come to her senses, or as best as she could, she spoke of a black ghost with a white mask, and a ring around his finger-she emphasized the ring-with a symbol that he cut into her brother, yet she couldn't remember it when questioned further. She said, however, that the ghost, or so she called it, said something about reaping. That each was reaping a soul for their master. It's a chilling thought, as if this child was a sacrifice, as were the others-there were six more abductions of small children, no older than seven, and there will be more, I am certain, if things persist down this dark road. That is why I write to you now; something very evil is lurking near our home and in our village, something that I am certain I cannot fight alone. I am afraid that this is not a human foe, but something from the darkest depths of Hades, and I fear that even you may not be able to stop this horror that has stricken our village and inflicted it with such grief. Those poor children! And I think of poor Tstumo, so young and full of life, and I fear that I may be helpless when such a forlorn time comes. Yet I am on alert and I have the long-bladed dagger you gave me beside me at all times; there is no need for you to worry about my safety or Tstumo's yet.   
  
However, I cannot protect a whole village by myself, and your assistance is very important now. I need you to come home to me, if you can, for the sake of our innocent village. I do not know what harm we have done that has caused such suffering to spread across our village, yet it has been done and it now must be stopped. Whatever course of action that is to be taken against these inhuman foes, let it be swift, I say. I just hope you get my letter in time and get here before everything is lost to us.  
  
With all my love,   
  
Tokio   
  
Saitou narrowed his eyes as he stared at the letter in the candlelight, a look of concern and anger in his determined eyes.  
  
  
  
Dawn arrived with Kenshin and Sanosuke waiting outside for Saitou. Saitou did arrive in a matter of moments, face fierce and eyes cast to the side.  
  
"Battousai," he began and handed Kenshin a note. "Give this to Captain Takemura when you arrive in Kyoto."  
  
Kenshin peered down at the paper in perplexity. "But can't you just give it to him, Saitou?" he asked in confusion.  
  
"I can't," he said, eyes still averted. "Although I'd like to accompany you in Kyoto, there are more pressing matters I have to deal with."  
  
"Pressing matters, huh?" Sanosuke questioned as Kenshin continued looking over the letter to Captain Takemura. Sanosuke then scoffed. "Well, that's the biggest load of bull I ever heard."  
  
Saitou shot him a glare, but before he could say anything, Kenshin asked, "Tokio…? Isn't that your wife, Saitou?" noticing the name in the note.  
  
"That's not for you to read, battousai!" Saitou snapped furiously. "It's for Captain Takemura!"  
  
Sanosuke, however, had already heard and his face was one of absolute astonishment. "You have a wife?!" he asked, unable to believe the concept. He turned to Kenshin. "Kenshin, Saitou has a wife?!"  
  
Kenshin chuckled nervously. "Apparently…"  
  
"No way!" he exclaimed, looking at Saitou in disbelief. "You have a wife?!"  
  
Saitou, growing annoyed, muttered, "Yes, I have a wife."  
  
"Wow! I can't believe it!" Sanosuke declared and turned to Kenshin. "She must either be stupid, desperate, or plain evil to have married Saitou! And whatever she is, she most definitely has to be ugly!"  
  
"I wouldn't know, Sano…I've never met Saitou's wife before, that I haven't," Kenshin answered with a frown. He then looked to Saitou. "But Saitou, why do you have to visit your wife now, if you don't mind my asking?" he inquired.  
  
Saitou let out an aggravated sigh. "In our village, right outside of Tokyo, there have been many…strange occurrences, recently."  
  
"According to the letter, it seems to be very serious…" Kenshin noted.  
  
"I told you that that wasn't for you to read!" Saitou snapped and Kenshin frowned.  
  
"I'm sorry, Saitou…but, still, I am concerned. Seven children already…" Sanosuke looked puzzled now.  
  
"Seven children? What happened to seven children?"   
  
"Don't be concerned," Saitou flatly stated, ignoring Sanosuke's questions . "I will handle it myself. You just get to Kyoto."  
  
"Yes, I should get to Kyoto. However, I am sure I can get their by myself just fine." He then looked to Sanosuke with a smile. "Sano, would you mind accompanying Saitou and see what all the trouble is in his village is about? You can meet me in Kyoto afterwards."  
  
Sanosuke's mouth dropped. "You mean, go with him?!" he asked, pointing to Saitou, who was glaring fiercely at Kenshin.  
  
"Battousai," Saitou began. "I don't need the help of that moron; he is not coming with me."  
  
"That's right!" Sanosuke agreed. "He doesn't need my help!" He then shook his head and corrected himself, "I mean, I don't WANT to help him."  
  
"Now, Sano…"  
  
But both men stood resolutely and declared, "No!" 


	5. Chapter 4

Sanosuke grumbled to himself, bag weighing down on his back, as he walked along with Saitou-well, behind him, anyway. And Saitou glared back at him and then would roll his eyes, pushing ahead. "Hey, Saitou! Can't you slow down a bit?"  
  
"No," Saitou answered flatly.  
  
"But we've been walking since sunrise without stop!" Sanosuke tried to reason. "It's already sunset!"  
  
"The battousai may allow you to be a burden to him, but I won't; if you can't keep up, then you'll be left behind, rooster-head."  
  
Sanosuke growled angrily and exclaimed, "I'm not a burden!" Then, he added, "And don't call me rooster-head!" Saitou smirked and let out a chuckle. Sanosuke then sighed and asked, "So how long is it to this stupid village of yours, anyway?"  
  
"Two days if we don't stop to rest," Saitou answered. "A day and a half if we keep a good pace."  
  
"Oh…we are going to stop, though, right, Saitou?" Sanosuke asked. Saitou didn't answer; he just quickened his pace. "Saitou?" He let out a groan and then called out, "Hey, Saitou!" realizing he was falling behind. He let out a frustrated sigh before running after Saitou, Saitou snickering the entire time.  
  
The two arrived at the village the next afternoon, not having stopped at all during the course of their short journey. Sanosuke looked ready to drop, nearly dozing off a few times as he walked. However, he found himself wide awake with curiosity when he reached the home of Hajime Saitou. To his surprise, he saw a pretty woman kneeling on the front lawn-what's more, she was with a small child. Dropping his bags to the grass, he stared at the two in puzzlement.   
  
The woman, sensing the presence of Sanosuke and Saitou, lifted her head. She then smiled and stood up. "Hajime!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around him. Saitou gave her a warm smile in response and then a kiss. Sanosuke's jaw dropped in both shock and disgust at the sight. Then, something even more shocking and disgusting happened:  
  
"Daddy! Daddy!" the little boy exclaimed.  
  
"Da-daddy?!" Sanosuke questioned aloud to himself, nearly choking on the word as he watched Saitou lift the child in his arms and give him a hug. "This can't be possible…I must be hallucinating…lack of sleep, that must be it."  
  
"How are you, Tstumo?" Saitou was asking his son with a grin after placing him back on the ground. "Are you being a good boy for your mother?" Tstumo grinned and nodded eagerly. "Well, that's my son. I should have expected as much, right?"   
  
Tstumo giggled. "I've missed you, Daddy!"  
  
"I've missed you, too."  
  
Sanosuke had started to grow sick at the sight when Tokio spotted him standing a few yards away. "Hello? Are you…looking for someone?" she asked curiously. Tstumo hid behind his father's leg when his eyes came upon the stranger.  
  
Sanosuke face turned a bit red, realizing he had been staring, and quickly stepped forward. "No, I-um-I'm Sanosuke Sagara," he stumbled to introduce himself to Tokio and hastily bowed.  
  
"Ah, yes!" Tokio said with a smile. "My husband has told me all about you. You're good friends with the legendary battousai, Kenshin Himura, or so I've heard."  
  
"Yes-yes, I am," Sanosuke said, surprised she knew such things.   
  
Tokio let out a amiable chuckle and introduced herself. "I'm Hajime's wife, Tokio. It's a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"You're Saitou's wife?" Sanosuke blurted out.  
  
"Why, yes," she answered with a laugh.  
  
"But…you're not ugly. And you're not evil, either," Sanosuke pointed out.  
  
"No, I'm not," she answered, still smiling. "At least, I would like to think so."  
  
"But…are you stupid or desperate then?" Sanosuke asked, staring at her in a daze of disbelief.  
  
"Excuse me?" she asked in puzzlement, but before Sanosuke could say anything, he felt something tugging on his pants' leg.  
  
"Rooster-head! Rooster-head!" little Tstumo was exclaiming through a fit of giggles.   
  
Sanosuke smiled wryly. "Well, it's nice to know you started teaching your son at an early age to insult people, Saitou."  
  
"Only people who deserve to be insulted," Saitou commented with a smirk.  
  
"My daddy says you're very stupid, Rooster-head. Is that true?" Tstumo asked, still giggling.  
  
"Tstumo!" Tokio scolded, although she was glaring at her husband.  
  
Sanosuke scowled a bit, but gave Tstumo a smile. "Well, you're daddy isn't a very nice person so I wouldn't listen to him if I were you."  
  
Saitou knelt down then and whispered in his son's ear, loud enough for the others to hear, "He's only saying that because he knows he's very stupid. He's just a silly Rooster-head, isn't he?"  
  
"Hajime!" Tokio now scolded her husband and then went to apologize to Sanosuke. "I'm very sorry, but sometimes my husband-"  
  
"Silly Rooster-head! Silly Rooster-head!" Tstumo interrupted his mother, repeating what his father had said and tugging on Sanosuke's pants again and Sanosuke was straining to smile.  
  
"Tstumo, stop calling the nice man mean names," Tokio told her son.  
  
"Ah, Tokio, it's all in harmless fun," Saitou insisted and then gave Sanosuke a smirk. "Isn't that right, Rooster-head?"  
  
Sanosuke looked ready to blow a gasket, but somehow kept grinning, little Tstumo still innocently giggling and tugging at his pants' leg. Sanosuke stared down at Tstumo then and Tstumo stopped his name calling and tugging, although his fingers still were clenched onto Sanosuke's pants, looking up at Sanosuke with a wide grin. Sanosuke sighed, shook his head, and gave the boy a genuine smile. "You know, you're lucky you're so adorable, otherwise I think I might have kicked you a long time ago."  
  
Tstumo began pulling on Sanosuke's pants again, giggling wildly once more. "Rooster-head! Rooster-head!" He then looked at Sanosuke again, eager to see his reaction.   
  
Sanosuke bent down and asked him, "Are you sure a cute thing like you is related to Saitou?"  
  
Tstumo just giggled. "You're funny, Roosterhead." He then began pulling on Sanosuke's pants leg again, giggling and exclaiming, "Roosterhead, Roosterhead!" Sanosuke just sighed and rose to his feet, allowing the child to continue to have his fun, even if it was at his expense.  
  
"Hajime, there's something I need to talk to you about, though," Tokio then said. "In the house…" She looked down at Tstumo then and then up at Sanosuke. "Would you mind watching Tstumo out here for us? We just have something we need to discuss in private, that's all."  
  
"But-" Before Sanosuke even got a chance to protest, both Saitou and Tokio had left him, disappearing into the house.   
  
He let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head and staring down at the little boy who giggled wildly and pulled at his pants' leg, exclaiming excitedly, "Rooster-head! Rooster-head!"  
  
"Is this really Saitou's kid?" Sanosuke asked aloud to himself, shaking his head with a smile. He then laughed, in spite of himself, taking a seat on the grass and little Tstumo took a seat beside him, continuing to call him Rooster-head as he did so. 


	6. Chapter 5

Okay, I will explain now that the suprise is over. Yes, Saitou Hajime had a wife named Tokio (which is mentioned in the anime) and a son named Tsutomu (he actually had three children, although their names slip my mind right now-Tstumo is the oldest of the three and considering he's, like, three years old, you can simply infer that the other two haven't been born). If you don't believe me that Saitou Hajime has three children, the oldest being Tsutomu, look it up for yourself (like I did-in more than one place at that!); it's historical fact. Anyways, as for his relationship with his wife or his children, I'm really not sure what it was like historically or in the anime. However, this is just my interpertation of how I think the Saitou from the anime would be like with his family! So, R&R!  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Tokio had pulled out a box and opened it for Saitou to see. In it lay the severed hand of some sort of creature. And on one of its fingers, a ring-the symbol of Saturn.  
  
"Another symbol…"  
  
"Another?" Tokio questioned her husband.  
  
He nodded. "Yes. There has been Mercury and Uranus…Saturn, too, all three related to a murder in Kyoto. This is the second time I've seen Saturn."  
  
"But what does it mean then?"  
  
"I don't know," Saitou began. "Mercury is the messenger. Uranus and Saturn were the message. From the information I gathered, Uranus is the anarchist, and Saturn in the bringer of sorrow, the one who deprives, or often portrayed as the Grim Reaper." He then looked to his wife. "How did this come to be here, though? You didn't mention it in your letter."  
  
"A couple of nights ago," Tokio began. "I heard something in the house. It may have been one of those black ghosts after Tstumo as they seem to have been after the other children; I couldn't tell in the darkness. But it had the ring, that I know. But it attacked and I cut off its hand. It ran after that. There's more than that, though." She pulled her kimono off her shoulder to reveal a black scar on her flesh.   
  
"This is like the wounds on the man from Kyoto…"  
  
"And on the animals that have been found dead here in the village," she added. "I've never seen any wound like it."  
  
"Neither have I until recently."  
  
"There's something else with the ring," Tokio now began. "I tried taking it off the hand, but when I tried to touch it, it burned my flesh. She showed him her scarred fingers.  
  
"So that's how they burned the symbols into their victims," Saitou realized.  
  
"I'm afraid that whatever this evil is, it isn't human," Tokio then said. "It's something much more frightening."  
  
And Saitou glanced at the hand and at the silver ring that glistened red.  
  
"Rooster-head, why don't you like my daddy?" Tstumo asked curiously, sitting opposite Sanosuke on the grass.  
  
"I never said that…"  
  
"You seem to not like him; you said he wasn't very nice."  
  
"Well…" Sanosuke frowned and looked up toward the clear sky, bright with the afternoon sun shining down on them. "Why doesn't your daddy like me then, hmm?"  
  
"My daddy likes you, Rooster-head."  
  
"He does?" Sanosuke asked in surprise and Tstumo nodded.  
  
"He thinks you're funny," he explained.  
  
"Oh; you mean he likes to make fun of me," Sanosuke asked and Tstumo grinned wildly, nodding his head and bursting into giggles again. Sanosuke sighed. "You know, I think you ought to listen to your mother more often; she's a lot nicer than your father."  
  
"Are you married, Rooster-head?" Tstumo then asked unexpectedly.  
  
Sanosuke's face turned red. "Why would you suddenly ask me a question like that?"  
  
"Because my mommy and daddy are married."  
  
"So? Of course they're married," Sanosuke answered. "Mommies and Daddies are supposed to be married."  
  
"Then you're not married?"  
  
Sanosuke smiled and answered, "No, I'm not."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Well…because," Sanosuke said, sitting up straight. "I don't know, really."  
  
"Is it because you're a rooster-head?" Tstumo asked with a giggle.  
  
Sanosuke grinned and said, "No, it's not because I'm a rooster-head."   
  
Tstumo giggled. "You're funny, rooster-head."   
  
Sanosuke then leaned forward and examined Tstumo closely. "Are you SURE Saitou's your father?"  
  
Tstumo giggled once more. "You're weird, Rooster-head."  
  
Suddenly, a black shadow was cast over them, and Sanosuke looked up in puzzlement to see a black mass looming over them, almost like a black ghost, a white mask over its face. It had one of its arms outstretched, while the other arm lay by it's side, blood dripping from the wrist, no hand to be seen. Sanosuke blinked a few times, unsure what to say or do as he continued to sit there, staring up at the strange creature.  
  
"The…ring…" the creature hoarsely whispered. "I must…have it…"  
  
Sanosuke stare up at it in even more of a shocked puzzlement. "Ring…?"  
  
Both Tokio and Saitou could hear the sound of their son screaming. Each gasped and looked to each other, before running outside to see what was the matter. They stopped, a look of horror on their faces at the sight of the demonic black ghost, or so it was called, with the white mask, bathed in the bright sunlight of the afternoon. It's fingers were around Sanosuke's throat, digging into the sides of his neck, his other arm dripping with dark blood. "The ring…" it wailed.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sanosuke managed to choke out, trying to pull at the fingers that gripped tightly around his throat while his feet dangled just above the grass. The creature just tightened his grip around Sanosuke's throat; Tstumo was bursting with tears.  
  
"The ring!" Tokio gasped, before darting into the house.  
  
"Tokio!" Saitou called after her. He then glared forward and stepped in front of his son, drawing his sword. But before he could say anything, Tokio appeared again, box in hand.   
  
"This is what you want, isn't it?" she questioned, throwing the box to the grass. It opened, the creatures hand tumbling onto the grass. Spotting it, the creature released Sanosuke, Sanosuke falling to the grass, coughing and gasping for air as he rubbed his neck. The black ghost then floated across the grass, leaving a trail of black death behind him, and to where the hand laid.  
  
"Yes…the ring…" it whispered. The arm that lay on the grass began to shake as the grass turned black. Then it rose, a mass of darkness pulling the arm to the black ghost's shoulder and it was soon attached to it's owner. The ring of Saturn glistened red on the black ghost's finger. It then turned it's head toward Tokio with a wail. "You're the one…who dare…" Tokio narrowed her eyes and raised her chin, but kept her lips tightly shut while Saitou raised his sword defensively. He then looked down at his hand that he just received, slowly turning his wrist about. "The Reaper will not come for you, though…but the others will serve his justice."  
  
With that the black ghost vanished, the black mass sucking into a small sphere of darkness and then becoming nothing all together. Tokio breathed a sigh of relief as Tstumo ran past his father and up to Sanosuke, pulling on his jacket and crying worriedly, "Rooster-head! Rooster-head! Are you all right?" Sanosuke nodded, still rubbing his neck.  
  
Meanwhile, Saitou's eyes turned fierce and he whispered to himself, "Others…?" 


End file.
